Overview

• Speaking at a Tel Aviv urban renewal forum, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he is negotiating with the United States over Gaza's division and claimed a business plan sits on President Trump's desk.
• Smotrich argued Israel and the U.S. have invested heavily in the war and must "define how we divide the land in percentages," asserting that "Gaza pays for itself."
• He framed widespread demolition as the first phase of urban renewal, adding "now we have to build."
• The Washington Post reported a proposal circulating in the Trump administration to place Gaza under a U.S.-administered trust for at least a decade with temporary relocation and redevelopment focused on tourism and high tech.
• The statements come as Israel positions tanks around Gaza City for a planned ground operation and the United States vetoes a UN Security Council draft demanding an immediate, permanent ceasefire.